Dance of Apsara
|details = Hey, i heard that you found the ruins of Angkor. I'd like to ask you another request. Did you notice a relief of a dancing woman on any buildings at Angkor? The woman is a female spirit called "Apsara" in the local language. I would like you to find out about this Apsara. First, go ask in town |step1 = /Old tales/Calicut/Scholar/ It was me who made the request. Before i settled down in this town, i was a researcher who traveled to India and lands even further east. One time when i was investigating inland from Gia Dinh, i lost my way and was in great distress. For about three days, i wandered around until i finally came to a human settlement. It was a village with only woman in it. |step2 = /The old Khmer language and.../Calicut/Scholar/ The ladies there spoke an old Khmer language, so i could only coommunicate with them through a kind of baby talk. They shared their food and water with me and i promised to rest there just for one day, as i intended to leave there quickly. |step3 = /A mysterious experience/Calicut/Scholar/ I borrowed a hut on the edge of the village. In the middle of the night, i was awoken by some sound. My body was so tired, i should have hardly been able to move. Why i was able to wake up then, i can't explain it now, but... I got up and peaked outside. I then saw the women of the village dancing in a square. |step4 = /Dance of Apsara/Calicut/Scholar/ And that was precisely the Apsara dance i was researching. Without thinking, i raised my voice in surprise, and the women dispersed like a flock of birds. Directly thereafter, my body felt extremely heavy and i fell into a deep sleep right at that very spot. |step5 = /Awaken and.../Calicut/Scholar/ Feeling a strong brightness like from the rays of the sun, i later awoke to find myself lying in a completely open area. But it must have been the same place where people were just living. Without understanding what happened, i left that place behind. But, since then, i've never been able to proceed any further in my research on the Apsara dance. |step6 = /Continuing the research/Calicut/Scholar/ I can still recall exactly what happened. I wonder what that was, though. If you were able to reach Angkor, then i'm sure you can continue my research, too. If you go have a drink in Gia Dinh and start talking abut this, you can probably learn something. |step7 = /A story that is hard to tell/Gia Dinh/Seafarer (Drinks All Round!)/ Since you're treating me, i'll have to tell you what i know. Inland from here, there's a village where apparently women knows as Apsara have lived for generations. It's a place where they preserve the Apsara dance. The men were warriors who protected thee heavenly maidens. But when Angkor was invaded by Ayutthaya, that village was attacked, too. |step8 = /Remains of Apsara/Gia Dinh/Seafarer/ The warriors fought desperately to let the heavenly maidens escape. By the time the woman crossed the mountains and lost their pursuers, the men were all killed... Supposedly, when the women's village was eventually found, everything had been destroyed. Later on, when men from this town journeyed inland, they came across ornaments used during the Apsara dance. |stepfinal = Scholar's thoughts take form/Siem Reap Outskirts/near Flower - Red/ Maybe the settlement where the scholar encountered those women during his research is the same Apsara village mentioned by the sailor in Gia Dinh. So then what did the scholar see exactly? Apparently, the village where the women were attacked was on the outskirts of Siem Reap. You should investigate whether that place really has any connection with the Apsara. |discoXP = 732 |cardXP = 366 |reportXP = 300 |reportfame = 110 |item1 = Quest Mediation Permit |notes = |preQ1 = quest/An eternal smile/Recognition/5/Theology/7/Mon-Khmer lang./1/Angkor |subQ1 = |chainQ1 = |landarea = Siem Reap Outskirts |seaarea = The Gulf of Thailand }}